AURORA — The plan was intended to go through Devante McCullough, even though the 6-foot-4 sophomore hadn’t scored all night. But when Aurora Central needed him the most, he delivered.
McCullough’s only basket of the game, a 3-pointer from the left wing with 18 seconds remaining, gave the Trojans only their fourth lead of the game. It also turned out to be the last one, as Aurora Central rallied from a 17-point deficit to stun host Gateway 55-52 on Friday night at the Aurora Public Schools Tip-Off.
Though Joseph Abrams was the catalyst for Aurora Central’s comeback, scoring a game-high 26 points — 20 in the second half — the game-winning play was set up to run through McCullough.
“That was all for me and I did it for the team,” the quiet sophomore said. “We were just working, talking about how we were going to come together as a team.”
Things didn’t start so well for Aurora Central (1-1) after the Olympians jumped out to a 19-2 lead early in the second quarter, mostly because of the play of post player Vince Roybal. The Gateway senior scored eight first-quarter points, and Curt Brever’s 3-pointer to open the second quarter gave the Olympians a 17-point cushion. But the Trojans weren’t going to be denied.
Whether it was Dese Lee, who scored 15 points, or Abrams, Aurora Central kept nipping at Gateway’s lead. The Trojans went on a 14-1 run in the third quarter to take their first lead since it was 2-0 on Lee’s basket in the lane. Neither team led by more than four points in the final six minutes.
“Until we share the ball a little bit, play a little bit more patience and have a little bit better shot selection, that’s going to happen,” Gateway head coach Jeff Sweet said. “I thought our defense was fine for the most part.”
But instead of celebrating a second victory, Gateway (1-1) missed five of its last six free-throw attempts and saw a 17-point lead and a potential win slip out of his grasp.
